quicken
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
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to become more active, sensitive, etc..
This drug causes the pulse to quicken.
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to become alive; receive life.
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(of the mother) to enter that stage of pregnancy in which the fetus gives indications of life.
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(of a fetus in the womb) to begin to manifest signs of life.
verb
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to make or become faster; accelerate
he quickened his walk
her heartbeat quickened with excitement
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to impart to or receive vigour, enthusiasm, etc; stimulate or be stimulated
science quickens man's imagination
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to make or become alive; revive
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(of an unborn fetus) to begin to show signs of life
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(of a pregnant woman) to reach the stage of pregnancy at which movements of the fetus can be felt
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Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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quickensimple
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quickenssimple
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have quickenedperfect
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has quickenedperfect
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am quickeningprogressive
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are quickeningprogressive
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is quickeningprogressive
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have been quickeningperfect progressive
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has been quickeningperfect progressive
Past
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quickenedsimple
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had quickenedperfect
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was quickeningprogressive
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were quickeningprogressive
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had been quickeningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of quicken
First recorded in 1250–1300, quicken is from the Middle English word quikenen. See quick, -en 1
Explanation
When things quicken, they speed up or make something go faster. If you're late for school, you should probably quicken your pace. Your heartbeat probably quickens when you're afraid or after you've been running fast, and you could also say that your curiosity quickens (or increases) when you overhear a mysterious phone call. The oldest meaning of quicken, however, is "come to life," a definition which sounds very old fashioned now, but which was once used to describe an advanced stage of pregnancy: "The fetus began to quicken."
Vocabulary lists containing quicken
Scrabble: Words that Begin with Q
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Tolkien Reading Day, List 9
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"What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?" Vocabulary from the speech
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
For comparison, Quicken Loans, which does a similar volume of Federal Housing Administration mortgages as D.R.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 13, 2025
So because I love doing Quicken and QuickBooks.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 20, 2023
Recently, we’ve committed to paying off our debt—together—I’ve requested visibility into his Quicken to determine historical spending as we determine a budget… And he refuses, claiming historical spending offers no insights for determining a budget.
From Slate • Aug. 10, 2023
The Eids opened the modern Lebanese restaurant to critical acclaim in 2019, in large part to take advantage of the demand for lunch at a location about three blocks from the headquarters of Quicken Loans.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 20, 2022
I have seen a medicine That's able to breathe life into a stone, Quicken a rock, and make you dance canary With spritely fire and motion.
From Shakespeare and Music With Illustrations from the Music of the 16th and 17th centuries by Naylor, Edward W. (Edward Woodall)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
